Wal-Mart limits ammunition sales as demand soars

A month after a massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, demand for ammunition is so high that Wal-Mart is limiting sales to keep supply stable.

As of last week, customers nationwide will only be able to purchase three boxes a day from the mega-retailer because “supply is limited,” said spokeswoman Ashley Hardie.

She declined to speculate on the reasons behind the surge in interest, but said the company is “monitoring supply issues daily and working with suppliers to ship ammunition to stores.”

“We’re taking care of as many customers as possible,” Hardie said.

The chain, based in Bentonville, Ark., isn’t the only gun and ammunition seller seeing a boost in sales since the Dec. 14 rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Of the top 10 days for firearms background checks between Nov. 30, 1998, and Jan. 27, 2013, eight have occurred since last month’s shooting, according to data obtained Monday from the FBI.

Gun sellers run background checks on prospective firearms buyers before making the sale. Two of the top 10 days occurred last year and in 2011 during the post-Thanksgiving shopping rush known as Black Friday.